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Ceti
The Ceti (or Juxtapraepes maximus) are the most powerful race in the galaxy. They control the Cetan Imperium, and thus control the largest sectors of known galactic space. Their rule is largely loathed by those who exist beneath them, as the Ceti are jingoistic, dogmatic, and totalitarian in their beliefs and doctrines. Hailing from the desert world of Coronox, a former world of the technologically-astounding Athos, the Ceti have developed psionic capabilities over millions of years of evolution around ruins and technology leaking pure Yì Radiation from The Void. There is a great amount of animosity and tension between the Ceti and the other races of the galaxy, mostly due to their imperialistic attitudes and religious fervor. The Ceti exercise careful and precise control over their domain, often with oppressive consequences. Biology and Physiology The Ceti stand at roughly 8 feet tall, and typically weigh somewhere around 90 pounds when unarmored. This extreme lankiness and emaciation in appearance is due to the environment in which they developed, one of global deserts, very low level, high-salinity oceans, and a great scarcity of food. They have a pale grey-ish coloration, digitigrade toes, and a long, thin figure. The average Cetan lives about 75 Cetan Standard Years, which are comparable to Earth years, for reference. Though through processes like organ transplantation and cybernetic augmentation, those that can afford it can become functionally immortal. The Ceti are also powerful psionic beings. Due to their constant exposure to the ruins of the Athos during their evolutionary development, the Ceti incorporated many strange psionic capabilities into their biological structures. For instance, all Ceti are capable of some degree of telepathy, as well as suggestion. Cetan Suggestion is a powerful phenomenon that has, in some part, lead to their domination of the galaxy. Cetan Suggestion is a process wherein other sentient beings often feel strangely compelled to comply with the demands of the Ceti. It works through multilayed speech frequencies. When the Ceti speak, they emit two disparate frequencies, one of which is their normal speech pattern, and one of which is a low droning hum that can pass through the skulls of most races, slightly altering their brainwaves. This is usually beneficial for the Ceti, making the victim feel inexplicably compelled to appease them. The most basic example is that, if a Cetan were asking a member of another race to do something, the chances of that person saying “yes” where they would have originally said “no” are increased. This ability is innate in nearly all Ceti, although not all can pull it off effectively, while others can pull it off quite easily. Of course, it would be possible to create a device that normalizes Cetan speech, removing the double tonality and replacing it with something in the middle, but no such device has ever been invented. History Write the second section of your page here. Culture The Ceti are noted for their extreme arrogance and xenophobia. They view all other races as lesser, and worthy of enslavement, if not outright extermination. Their society is strict and highly regimented, with clear divides between the haves and the have-nots. There is a great disparity in wealth in the Cetan culture, and the rich and powerful reign supremely not only over their own people, but a large part of the galaxy as a whole as well. The rich are able to extend their lifespans through cybernetic implants and organ replacement, while the poor are left to deal with everything by themselves. However, the Ceti have a populous middle class, from which they can draw most of their workers and soldiers. The Ceti have a patriarchal society, and they have no concept of marriage or relationships. They reproduce solely for procreation, and physical reproduction is seen as low-class. Many wealthy Ceti will grow their offspring in specialized tubes. However, the ever-decadent Cetan aristocrats typically forego that unspoken rule, often taking many women as a form of social currency, and reproducing phsyically. The lower and middle classes all live in massive group hyperstructures, while the rich typically live in palatial mansions, sometimes orbitting the planet. These arcologies act as commercial, governmental, and residential facilities. The arcologies are expansive networks in which the Ceti live, work, and die. Many common Ceti will never even leave the arcology they were born in. The Ceti speak Vox, which is hailed as the superior language of the galaxy for both its depth of grammatical structure and syntax, as well as its elegance in pronunciation and verbalization. Of course, the Ceti are the only ones who actually think this. Religion The Ceti are a fervently religious race, and religion is the very core of their society. They worship two similar yet dissimilar paragons: The Triumvirate, and Athos, whom they refer to as the Deux-Ceta-Maxiliax, or merely the Deux. The Triumvirate are the immortal leaders of the Cetan Imperium. Long ago, they peered into The Void, discerning much from the chaos and becoming immortal god-like beings. They act as messianic figures for the Ceti, as well as emperors and generals. the Athos are the true gods of the Ceti, however, as the Triumvirate are merely their avatars. The Ceti believe themselves to be directly descendended from the Athos, which is the source of their arrogance and jingoism. They view the Athos as the pinnacle of civilization, surpassing all life and reaching perfection. It is their belief that the Athos' disappearance was caused by a great ascendance into The Void. They believe that the Athos achieved a greatness so supreme and everlasting that they become one with the very fabric of reality, and now bend the universe to their whims. The Ceti wish to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors, and they believe that they must do this through technological and territorial domination, in order to impress their gods and join them. The Ceti practice their religion in a very structured, mechanical way. Every night, they must dedicate an entire hour to proper worship of and reverence toward both the Triumvirate and the Athos. Economy The Cetan economy makes extensive use of slave labor, utilizing mainly Unian slaves. Of course, the Uni are a simplistic race, and many of the jobs the Ceti require are too advanced for them. The Uni are mainly used as a free labor force for doing construction or menial tasks, or as soldiers. The Ceti must rely on themselves for designing and planning technologies, devices, and things of that nature, but they can typically rely on the Uni to manufacture them. In this sense, many jobs held by the Ceti are in engineering or management roles. Billions of Ceti also serve in the Aegix, the military of the Cetan Imperium. The Ceti also receive money from their indentured servant race, the Vyrkch. Technology The Ceti have some of the most advanced technology in the galaxy, much of which stems from the design of Athetian tech. They also make use of much of the Athos' technology that has been left behind. Starships cetan_maxilian.jpg|A Maxilian Superheavy Capital Ship cetan_gladiux.jpg|A Gladiux Lance Cruiser Cetan starships typically make use of a blocky and reinforced design. They are highly armored, shielded, and gargantuan in size. Cetan ships are some of the most powerful ships in the galaxy, with some of the largest crews. They make extensive use of beam weapons, whereas other races might typically rely on kinetics. Typical Cetan ships include the Gladiux Lance Cruiser, which is a small ship used for quick, elegant combat, and the Maxilian Superheavy Capital Ship, used for combat on a much larger scale. Weaponry Cetan weapons are typically based in highly focused beams and lasers. These beams can rip through metal and melt armor, which makes them highly effective on the battlefield. Many Cetan weapons also utilize antimatter with deadly effects. Focused Annihilation Beams, for example, generate antimatter in a chamber and collide it with matter, thus releasing massive amounts of energy, which is then focused into a beam of pure, white hot energy through a special lens. Armor Since the Ceti are a very physically weak race, they must often rely on powerful armor for protection on the battlefield. Cetan power armor is incredibly strong yet lightweight, and it accents their slender form, while still reinforcing their strength greatly. This armor is used frequently by soldiers in the Aegix. Governmental Structure At the highest level, the Cetan government is controlled, nearly in full, by the Triumvirate of Ceta-Charon: three individuals who long ago peered into the void with the help of ancient technology and gained immortality. These figures are revered and worshipped by all Ceti, and their word is considered absolute law. Furthermore, the Living Gods of Ceta-Charon are powerful psionics, and their psychic powers have been primed extensively due to their extended lifespans. They, through lifetimes of experience, can induce the strongest Cetan Suggestion on nearly any lifeform, even the Beilkon, who are traditionally immune to suggestion. The members of the Triumvirate have every need tended to by slaves and the Templux, and the will of the Triumvirate is enforced through the Inquisitorix. The Triumvirate rules absolutely over the Ceti homeworld; however, as one gets farther and farther from the homeworld, their influence becomes weaker and weaker. This is where planetary government comes in. Most planets within the Cetan Imperium are ruled aristocratically by a Caexar ("governor") and a small body referred to as the Concilliux, all of which make up a singular and well-defined “House.” House membership is passed genetically, from father to eldest son, so as to perpetuate the Cetan aristocracy indefinitely. The Concilliux contains exactly 13 members—12 Decurix, and 1 Caexar—and makes planetary laws, all of which exist within the systematic laws set in place by the Triumvirate. In reality, the members of the Cetan aristocracy do very little. Their familial placement into a House was decided long ago, directly by the Triumvirate, so the only real task the aristocracy has is to ensure that they continue their family line. While some Houses are more controlling than others, some are much more lax, allowing the citizens of the planets they rule over more freedom as far as determining the rules and laws. The Houses are all incredibly different in this sense; the only real thing that they all have in common is a decadent lifestyle. Some Houses have feuds with each other (some of which can date back hundreds if not thousands of years). This can lead to small planetary and space-based skirmishes, which are somewhat epidemic, but not treated as anything worth trying to stop. Military The Cetan military is called the Aegix, meaning "the shield" in Vox. The Aegix is divided into three important branches, all of which are critical to the maintenence of Cetan dominance: the Exorcix, the Claxis, and the Inquisitorix. Category:Races Category:Ceti Category:Xenox Primorix